ES2708777T3 - A screen apparatus and a method for providing a sanitary support for a mesh screen of a screen apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A sieve apparatus comprising a housing (1) having an inlet section with a feed inlet (81) for the material to be screened and a discharge section that includes at least one outlet (82, 83), at least one substantially vertical lateral wall (2), a sieve mesh (5) having at least one lateral edge (51), means (85) for vibrating the sieve mesh, and a support structure (6, 7) formed as integral part of the side wall (2) that includes at least one support element (7) along each side wall and adapted to support the sieve mesh (5), where each support element is provided as a profile ( 7) of support having an inclined support surface (73) for the lateral edge (51) of the sieve mesh and constituting a substantially V-shaped structure protruding within the housing, said support surface (73) found with a lower surface (74) at a vertex (75) located at a di stance of the side wall (2) inside the housing (1), characterized in that each V-shaped support profile (7) is formed as an integral part of the respective side wall (2) and forms a substantially shaped course arch along said side wall.

Description

DESCRIPTION

A screen apparatus and a method for providing a sanitary support for a mesh screen of a screen apparatus

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a screen apparatus comprising a housing having an input section with a feed inlet for the material to be screened and a discharge section including at least one outlet, at least one substantially vertical side wall, a sieve screen having at least one side edge, means for vibrating the sieve screen, and a support structure connected to the respective side wall including at least one support element along each side wall and adapted to support the sieve mesh. The invention also relates to a method for providing a sanitary support for a screen mesh in a screen apparatus.

Background of the invention

Sieve apparatuses of this type, also referred to as vibrating sieve sieves, are well known in the art for separating and sorting material into at least two size fractions allowing a smaller fraction of the feed material to seep through the mesh. sieve.

Some devices make use of multiple vibrating screens, with an upper sieve that separates the larger or larger material from the rest of the material, which in turn falls on an intermediate sieve. The intermediate screen mesh then separates an intermediate size of material from the smaller size material. Other apparatuses may consist of two or more shells connected together sequentially to retrieve material of different size configurations.

WO2009 / 046071 discloses a screen clamp which includes a V-shaped support profile for securing a stirrer screen to a stirrer, said support profile includes an angled surface configured to contact a beveled edge of the stirrer screen . Said sieve clamp further includes a top retainer configured to extend from an internal wall of the agitator onto a part of the sieve.

In the food and pharmaceutical sector, for example, hygiene is an increasingly important area of focus when sifting powder or particulate material in such a screening apparatus. Therefore, efficient cleaning is required. On-site cleaning (CIP) is a method for cleaning, and for several reasons it is becoming increasingly popular, as the CIP procedure allows cleaning without handling heavy meshes, possibly with sharp edges, which also easily damage.

In order for the screen apparatus to be cleaned by CIP methods, demands are made on the configuration of the support structure of the screen mesh. In a commonly known solution, the screen mesh is supported by a rectangular fixed bar mounted on the side wall. The bar provides a sealing functionality that prevents unscreened material from finding its way around the screen mesh and into the smaller size material. However, in addition to the difficulties in reaching all areas during the cleaning process, the bar can transport the finished product to the exit without letting it pass through the screen mesh. This constitutes a waste and a loss of production. In a second known solution, an elastomer element with packing edge, for example, made of silicone and mounted along the edge of the screen mesh, in which case the side wall of the housing is uniform and without support bars . In the opening between the screen mesh and the silicone rim element, obviously there are potentially serious hygiene challenges. In addition, the edges of the elastomer can not withstand the chemical products used in cleaning the CIP, and it is not uncommon for them to break after a few CIP procedures. In order to avoid the hygienic problems related to the two known technologies mentioned above, a third known solution for the CIP screen apparatus is currently used. Here, the support bars and the sealing element are simply removed. Although this results in a construction that can be cleaned by CIP, this solution has other disadvantages, the main problem is that, due to the production tolerances of the screen mesh, as well as to the side walls, it is not possible to eliminate a small space between the screen mesh and the side wall, which in turn, allows the unsorted material to find its way around the mesh, resulting in residual material in the finished product.

Summary of the invention

In this context, it is an object of the present invention to provide a screen apparatus, by which the above disadvantages are alleviated and in which sanitary cleaning can be carried out.

In a first aspect, this and other additional objects are found in a screen apparatus of the type mentioned in the introduction, which is further characterized in that each support element is provided as a support profile having an inclined support surface for the edge lateral of the screen mesh and that constitutes a structure substantially V-shaped projecting into the housing, said supporting surface meets a lower surface at a vertex located at a distance from the side wall inside the housing.

By providing such a V-shaped support profile, a self-adjusting stop is achieved between the screen mesh and the support profile, resulting in a structure that does not allow the waste to bypass the screen mesh and not Allow the finished material to pass through the apparatus as a production loss, but without the use of elastomeric materials that can not be cleaned properly. In addition, the V-shape allows easy access to all areas that will be cleaned during the CIP procedure.

The term "substantially V-shaped", or simply "V-shaped", should be understood as covering structures that have rounded edges or corners in the curves of the V, for example in the vertex and in the transition to the wall side.

The V-shaped support profile is formed as an integral part of the side wall and forms a substantially arcuate course along said side wall. Said one-piece structure implies that there are no joints in which the material can be brought together and that they are difficult to clean.

In principle, the support surface of the V-shape extending between a first point in the side wall and the vertex could have any suitable inclination to provide adequate support and meet the requirements of easy access and cleaning, for example, a inclination In the range of 20 ° to 70 ° with the horizontal. However, it is preferred that the inclination is in the range of 30 ° to 60 °, and most preferred 40 ° to 50 °. In a presently preferred embodiment, the V-shape corresponds to an isosceles triangle having a vertex angle of substantially 90 °, the supporting surface having an inclination of substantially 45 °. This provides reliable support in combination with easy access to all areas.

In a second aspect, a method is provided for providing a sanitary support for a screen mesh in a screen apparatus.

In the method, each V-shaped support profile is formed as an integral part of the respective side wall and forms a substantially arcuate course along said side wall, and it is preferred that each side wall of the housing This formed by metal sheet and the V-shaped support profile is provided in a sheet forming process such as bending or rolling.

Other details and advantages appear from the remaining dependent claims, and from the detailed description of preferred embodiments and examples for carrying out the method set forth below.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a prior art screen apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a partial view of detail A of the prior art screen apparatus of Fig. 1, on a larger scale;

Figures 3 and 4 are views corresponding to figure 2 of details of other apparatuses of the prior art;

Figure 5 is a side view of a screen apparatus in a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 1, but of the screen apparatus in the embodiment of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a partial schematic view of the detail B of the screen apparatus of Figures 5 and 6, on a larger scale;

Figures 8 and 9 are schematic views corresponding to Figure 7; Y

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing parts of the interior of the screen apparatus shown in Figures 5 to 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In figure 1, there is shown a prior art screen apparatus represented by its housing 101 and which is usually provided with an input section with a feed inlet for the material to be screened and a discharge section including the less an outlet, and means to vibrate the screen mesh, these parts are not shown. The housing has two opposite and substantially vertical side walls 201, an upper wall 301 and a lower wall 401. In the casing 101, a sieve screen 501 is supported by a series of transverse ribs 601 and a support element 701. Reference is now made to Figure 2, which shows the detail A of Figure 1. In this commonly known solution, the support element 701 is a rectangular fixed bar mounted on the side wall 201, typically by welding.

Alternative solutions known in Figures 3 and 4 are shown, in which the second solution shown in Figure 3 makes use of an elastomeric element with the packaging flange 502, for example made of silicone and mounted along the edge 501 of sieve mesh, and in the third solution of figure 4, the sieve mesh 501 is supported only by transverse ribs 601.

Referring now to Figures 5 to 7 and 10 showing the invention, the screen apparatus comprises a housing 1 having an inlet section with a feed inlet 81 for the material to be screened and a discharge section including at least one an outlet 82, 83, and at least one substantially vertical side wall 2. In the embodiment shown, the housing 2 has a generally rectangular configuration as seen from above, and two opposite side walls 2 are present. The casing thus defines a general longitudinal direction between the inlet section and the outlet section. A sieve screen 5 having a longitudinal extension and supported by a supporting structure 6.7 which will be described in more detail is present in the casing 2. The screen apparatus further comprises means 85 for vibrating the sieve screen, here a motor that provides a defined frequency well The additional details shown in figure 5 include means 84 for tightening the screen mesh 5 in the longitudinal direction, parts of a transport structure 86 including spring means for the vibration function ( not shown) and inspection covers 87.

During the operation, the screen apparatus vibrates, generally to produce a slow forward movement and a rapid backward movement, so that the material present in the screen mesh will advance with the sieve but, due to inertia, will allow the Sieve moves behind her. As a result, the material will advance forward in the respective sieve, so that the material that does not fall through the sieve will be discharged from the discharge end of the respective sieve, for its collection.

The support structure comprises a set of transverse ribs 6 extending substantially perpendicular to the side walls 2, located below the screen mesh 5. The transverse ribs 6 are connected to the side walls 2 because the respective ends (not shown) are introduced through openings in the side walls. In use, the sieve mesh 5 is located at the top of the transverse ribs 6. By forming the ribs 6 in a position of variable height along the length of the carcass 2, the desired course of the screen mesh 5 is defined. In addition, the support structure comprises a support element along each side wall 2 for supporting a respective lateral edge 51 of the screen mesh 5. According to the invention, the support element is provided as a support profile 7 having an inclined support surface 73 for the lateral edge 51 of the screen mesh and constituting a substantially V-shaped structure that protrudes into the housing, said support surface 73 having a lower surface 74 at a vertex 75 located at a distance from the side wall 2 inside the housing 1. Each transverse rib 6 has an upper edge 61 substantially at the level of the vertex 75 of the V-shaped support profile.

Each V-shaped support profile 7 is formed as an integral part of the respective side wall 2.

The support surface 73 of the V-shape extends between a first point 71 in the side wall 2 and the vertex 75 and has an inclination in the range of 20 ° to 70 ° with the horizontal, preferably 30 ° to 60 °. , most preferred from 40 ° to 50 °. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the V-shape corresponds to an isosceles triangle having a vertex angle of substantially 90 °, the support surface 73 has an inclination of 45 °, as does the lower surface 74. This allows easy access to the transitions between the side wall 2 and the V-shaped support profile 7 at the first and second points 71, 72, respectively, and therefore all areas can be cleaned properly. In the drawings, the V-shape is shown with sharp edges to illustrate only purposes. It should be understood that the term "substantially V-shaped", or simply "V-shaped", encompasses structures having rounded edges or corners in the curves of the V, in the first embodiment, for example, in the vertex and in the the transition points to the side wall. In the first embodiment, each side wall of the shell is formed by a metal sheet and the V-shaped support profile is provided in a sheet forming process, such as bent or rolled, which in turn makes the edges and the corners are rounded.

Referring again to Figure 5, it is seen that the contours of the V-shaped support profile 7 are visible from the exterior side of the side wall of the housing in the embodiment of Figures 5-7 and 10. Aqrn, It is also shown that the V-shaped support profile 7 forms a substantially arc-shaped course along the side wall 2.

In the alternative, the second and third embodiments shown in Figures 8 and 9, the elements having the same function or analogous function are indicated with the same reference numbers to which 100 and 200 have been added, respectively. Only the differences relating to the first embodiment will be described in detail.

In the example of Figure 8, each V-shaped support profile 107 is formed as a separate element connected to the respective side wall 102. The support profile comprises an inclined support surface 173, a lower surface and a base surface 178 in contact with the side wall 102. The support profile 107 is connected to the side wall 102 in two welds 176 and 177. Alternative connections can be conceived, For example, mechanical fastening means such as a screw or bolt can be inserted from the outside and into a threaded hole or bushing.

In the embodiment of Figure 9, two variations of the invention are present:

The side edge of the screen mesh 205 is provided with a frame element 251. The frame member 251 is made of any suitable material and is preferably flexible and elastic. The connection to the screen mesh is made by pressing, gluing, molding, or welding. Such a frame element could also be applied to the first and second embodiments.

The inclination of the support surface 273 forms an angle of approximately 60 ° with the horizontal and the lower surface 274 is substantially horizontal, it is perpendicular to the side wall 202. This configuration is less preferred than the first configuration, since it is relatively the steep angle of the support surface 273 gives a smaller support face of the screen mesh 205, and at the sharp edge in the transition between the side wall 202 and the lower surface 274, there is a risk of formation of cracks, which in addition to weakening The material is prone to unwanted collection of material.

The material and dimensions of the screen apparatus depend on the field of use.

In the embodiments mentioned above, the housing and the V-shaped support profiles are made of a metal material such as steel.

Alternative designs include a screen apparatus in which the housing and the V-shaped support profiles are made of a composite or plastic material, possibly thermoplastic.

In the above embodiments, the support profile has been shown and described as a single coherent profile on each wall. However, as an alternative, each V-shaped support profile can be composed of a series of elements, possibly separated by a space between them.

The dimensions of the screen apparatus in the actual embodiment are such that the internal width between the two opposite side walls is approximately 1.3 m. The length of the entire screen apparatus is about 6 m, and the length of the screen mesh is about 5 m. The vertex of the V-shaped support profile 7 in the first embodiment protrudes approximately 2 cm into the housing 2. For other sieve meshes, this dimension may be larger or smaller. The size is chosen according to the materials of other parts, for example, the stainless steel has a tendency to deform during the welding of the different parts, which in turn entails higher manufacturing tolerances.

Next, a method for providing a sanitary support for a screen mesh in a screen apparatus will be described. The method comprises the steps of:

providing a housing with an inlet section with a feed inlet for the material to be sieved and a discharge section including at least one outlet and at least one substantially vertical side wall,

provide a screen mesh with two side edges,

providing to each side wall a support profile having an inclined support surface and constituting a V-shaped structure projecting inside the housing, said support surface being located with a lower surface at a vertex located at a distance of the side wall inside the housing, and

place the mesh screen on the inclined support surface of the respective V-shaped support profile.

Each V-shaped support profile is formed as an integral part of the respective side wall. In addition, each side wall of the shell is formed by a metal sheet and the V-shaped support profile is provided in a sheet forming process, such as bending or rolling.

Alternatively, each side wall of the housing is formed of a composite or plastic material, possibly thermoplastic, and the V-shaped support profile is formed by molding. As a further alternative, each side wall of the housing is formed by a workpiece of additional thickness and each V-shaped support profile is provided by cutting the workpiece in a milling process.

In the case where each V-shaped support profile is formed as a separate element which is connected to the respective side wall, it can be welded to the side wall or connected to the side wall by adhesion.

Claims (16)

1. A sieve apparatus comprising a housing (1) having an input section with a feed inlet (81) for the material to be screened and a discharge section including at least one outlet (82, 83), at least one substantially vertical lateral wall (2), a sieve mesh (5) having at least one lateral edge (51), means (85) for vibrating the sieve mesh, and a support structure (6, 7) formed as an integral part of the wall (2) side that includes at least one support element (7) along each side wall and adapted to support the mesh (5) of sieve, where each support element is provided as a support profile (7) having an inclined support surface (73) for the lateral edge (51) of the screen mesh and constituting a substantially V-shaped structure that protrudes into the housing, said support surface (73) meeting a lower surface (74) at a vertex (75) located at a distance from the side wall (2) inside the housing (1), characterized in that each profile ( 7) is formed as an integral part of the respective side wall (2) and forms a substantially arc-shaped course along said side wall. 2. A screen apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the supporting surface (73) of the V-shape extending between a first point in the side wall and the vertex has a slope in the range from 20 ° to 70 ° with the horizontal, preferably from 30 ° to 60 °, most preferred from 40 ° to 50 °. 3. A screen apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the V-shape corresponds to an isosceles triangle having a vertex angle of substantially 90 °, the supporting surface (73) having a substantially vertical inclination. °. 4. A screen apparatus according to claims 1 and 3, wherein the contours of the V-shaped support profile (7) are visible from the outer side of the side wall of the housing. A screen apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the screen mesh (5) has a longitudinal extension between the inlet section (81) and the discharge section (82, 83) in the the casing and the means (84) are provided for tightening the screen mesh (5) in the longitudinal direction. 6. A screen apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one side edge of the screen mesh (205) is provided with a frame element (251), said frame element is preferably flexible and elastic, and preferably it is connected to the screen mesh by pressing, gluing, molding, welding or with soft solder, 7. A screen apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing and the V-shaped support profiles are made of a metal material such as steel. 8. A screen apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing and the V-shaped support profiles are made of a composite or plastic material, possibly thermoplastic. A screen apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support structure further comprises a set of transverse ribs (6) extending substantially perpendicular to said side wall (2), located below of the screen mesh (5) and having an upper edge (61) substantially at the level of the respective vertex (75) of the V-shaped support profile. 10. A screen apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each V-shaped support profile is composed of a series of elements, possibly separated by a space therebetween. 11. A method for providing a sanitary support for a screen mesh in a screen apparatus comprising the steps of: providing a housing with an inlet section with a feed inlet for the material to be screened and a discharge section including at least one outlet, and at least one substantially vertical side wall, providing a screen mesh with two side edges, providing to each side wall a support profile having an inclined support surface and constituting a V-shaped structure projecting into the housing with each V-shaped support profile formed as integral part of the respective side wall and forming a substantially arc-shaped course along said side wall, said bearing surface meeting a lower surface at a vertex located at a distance from the side wall within the housing, and place the screen mesh on the inclined surface support surface of the respective V-shaped support profile. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein each side wall of the shell is formed by a metal foil and the V-shaped support profile is provided in a foil forming process such as bending or rolling. The method of claim 11, wherein each side wall of the housing is formed of a composite or plastic material, possibly thermoplastic, and the V-shaped support profile is formed by molding. The method of claim 11, wherein each side wall of the housing is formed by a workpiece of additional thickness and each V-shaped support profile is provided by cutting the workpiece in a milling process. The method of claim 11, wherein each V-shaped support profile is formed as a separate element that is connected to the respective side wall. 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the process of forming the sheet leaves the contours of the V-shaped support profile visible from the exterior side of the side wall of the housing.